Becoming a candidate in City Politics

While Election Day is still months and months away, the race for the golden ring has already begun.

Look at one Kurt Young, Esquire. This loyal soldier for the Democrats already has a logo and a campaign page for his run for Toledo City Council. The brief bio isn’t very helpful, though. It notes that he is a husband, homeowner, and attorney. Just what he thinks he’s doing running for Toledo City Council is never fully fleshed out.

Kurt might be the first out of the gate with a logo and a social media vehicle for uninspired selfies, but he sure won’t be the last. There are others chomping at the bit, in neighborhoods and from ‘burb to shining ‘burb, too.

All of which begs that nagging question. Who the shazdang it told these folks we wanted them to represent us anyways?

Representin’

A little voice creeps in and chirps, “look at the voiceless masses. They need a leader to give them a voice.” Lo and behold, that leader is the mug in the mirror!

Seriously, this is a major problem. Representative democracy was conceived to allow yokels sitting around the ol’ cracker barrel to nominate one to give them all voice. “You know who has a right fine head on his shoulders? Ol’ Clem, that’s who. We should get ol’ Clem to go on down to City Hall and be our voice in the halls of guvmint!”

Has anyone been sitting around ruminating on what a fine head Kurt Young has on his shoulders, and how much we’d love it if he’d mosey on down to One Guv to be our stand-in? No need to pick on poor ol’ Kurt, we could say the same thing about plenty of candidates, incumbents and newcomers alike. Was their decision to become a candidate in humble assent to the clamoring of the masses? Or was it self-serving, public trough ambition?

Our new standard campaign question. Just what gave you the big idea that anyone wants you in office?

Fair shakes

What it comes down to, dear readerz, is a question of leadership. The great Bard said it best in Twelfth Night. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. Translate that into City Politics, and, well, it doesn’t really translate into City Politics. Which sorta stinks.

But insert the notion of leadership, and we could say, some are born leaders, some become leaders, and some have leadership thrust upon them. We would reply to the Bard, yeah, Shakes baby, that’d be fandiddlytastic, but some of these ragamuffniks just want to be leaders so bad they can taste it in the back of their epiglottis.

Was Carty born to lead? Or does he just want to be a leader so bad it makes him slap employees and call pudgy kids “Fatso?”

Look at current leadership in T-Town, in the ‘burbs, in the townships. Were these folks born leaders? Do their previous careers reek of accomplishment and accolades? Or do they just plain reek?

Give it to us straight, oh ye who would be our leaders, our voice. We can take it. Have you been born to lead, achieved leadership, or had leadership thrust upon you? Ready to take that leadership into the public sphere?

Or are you just a sorry excuse, a wannabe with a big mouth and a teentsy weentsy resume, ready to lead us off a cliff?

We’ve had way too much of the latter. Jokers who wouldn’t know leadership if it smacked ‘em in the head with a coffee cup. Stay home, wannabes. Let the leaders among us come forth. And let the games begin!

Some things worth sayin’

We, for one, cannot question the explanation of Council President Steve Steel regarding his recent mishap in the downtown of our fair burg. While it makes us question the safety on the streets of our vaunted and rejuvenating entertainment district, we certainly cannot argue with Steel and his council cohorts for seeking a bit of refreshment in advance of the State of the City address. Having attended a few of those annual speeches, we can empathize with Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s poorly timed nap during a State of the Union address several years back. And she was listening to Barry O, not Paula HH. A libation pre and post State of the City seems warranted and, by the sounds of it, as a majority of council was partaking, perhaps the most collective wisdom exhibited by our council members in some time.

And lest we not forget the role of the watering hole in our political history. Our country’s Constitution was first debated over a few pints of ale and Mad Anthony Wayne and Ollie Perry had a penchant for relaxing over a distilled spirit. So we say, carry on our good representatives. Perhaps the nudniks we have sent to represent us in DC would do well to find a publican house to share some rhetoric and break the stalemate. Just sayin’.